Q&A with the creators of Ballet Bootcamp

Victoria Marr and Flik Swan met as bright-eyed 11 year olds at ballet school in Surrey. Today, the elegant twosome possess an incredible 32 years of combined experience in professional dance, are the founders of innovative dance workout method SleekTechnique.com and are the creators of fusion-fitness class Ballet Bootcamp. Here, we delve into the graceful duo's favourite workouts and performances, plus their top tips for staying healthy.

Favourite Ballet Move:

Victoria - Ballet training is great for your legs; building strength and tone. I like using this in explosive movements like a grande jeté (a big jump). You'll find smaller jumps in the cardio section of our Ballet Bootcamp class.

Flik - Tendus are my favourite. They're a simple movement but are so effective for shaping the lower legs and warming up the body for more intense exercises.

Favourite Ballet Performance:

Victoria - I flew out as a Principal Guest Artist for the New National Ballet in Tokyo to perform the title role in Carmina Burrana. It is an amazingly powerful female lead and with a packed house, full orchestra and choir, it was totally electric experience.

Flik - I was a Principal Artist in Shoes for Sadlers Wells, in which I danced in the vast majority of numbers set by 6 widely-acclaimed choreographers from Sidi Larbi to Stephen Mear. It was one of the greatest physical challenges of my career and also the most exhilarating.

Talk Us Through Your Daily Workout:

Flik: We definitely practice what we preach and are in SleekTechnique.com classes everyday, whether teaching or joining in ourselves. We might start the day with a half-hour Ballet Body class or Barre Technique and end with a Flex & Stretch session. We make sure we mix these up in the week with more focused workouts on either the abs or upper body for an overall conditioning regime. If we're leading a Ballet Bootcamp class, we get all this in one go. It's a top-to-toe workout that ticks all the boxes.

Favourite Workout:

Flik: I love to practice yoga - it aligns well with my ballet training, but more importantly it relaxes my mind and body after a busy day in the SleekTechnique.com virtual studio.

Victoria: If it is a nice day, I need to get outdoors! I love getting on my bike and going for a cycle. I won't be entering the Tour de France anytime soon but it is great exercise, provides good thinking time and I love being out in the open.Tell Us About Your Fitness Inspirations:

Flik & Victoria: Tamara Rojo is fit and fabulous. She is a beautiful, strong and powerful dancer with a feminine physique. She runs English National Ballet by day and still dances the principal roles by night! The other has got to be Mary, one of our original SleekTechnique.com members. At 64 years young she is a regular attendee, performing up to five classes a week. The change in her fitness, posture and body shape has been nothing short of inspiring. When she bounds into class and tells us how awesome she is feeling, we know we are doing something right.

Photo Credit: Drew Tommons

Top Tips For Staying Healthy:

Victoria: Mine is simple... try to drink lots of water and keep active.

Flik: I've been a vegetarian since I was aged 12 which has meant I've always been into foods that are now being hailed for their huge nutritional benefits. Coconut oil, quinoa, lentils, etc. used to be laughed off as rabbit food but thankfully not any more - the more you can integrate these foods into your diet the more benefits your body will enjoy.

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